Everything Happens At Once, Or Does It?
by Jhessill
Summary: The start of a series of fics that have been demanding to be put to page. Includes a nameless gargoyle, a feline, and a couple humans. What will the guys do when they meet this crowd? Used to be "It Starts". Major revision.
1. EHAO,ODI?

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy, the Gargoyles, or the T

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy, the Gargoyles, or the T.M.N.T. Sadly enough, they belong to other people. This is written for fun, no money is being made from these words being put to paper.

There. It's said. Now, let's move on with the story.

"I love you."

The male amid the center of the 'cleansing' smiled sadly at her, "No you don't, but thanks for saying it." He turned his eyes to the other female still there watching them. Horror reflected in her eyes.

"Sp-Spike," she questioned.

She had forgone her normal mirage. Either that or the device had been shattered. His eyes strayed her unusual form for what seemed like eternity. She was forest green in color, reminding him of the trees that had surrounded his home. She was strong, if her muscles were any indication. Her tail, yes, her wonderfully, talented tail. He grinned inside, but quickly scanned her four fingered hands, and her taloned toes that numbered the same. Twin horns shot up from her head, tangled amongst a fiery mane of red. In a word, for a nameless gargoyle - so she had often called herself - she was beautiful. He pushed a small envelope into her stunned hands and motioned for her to take the other female and go. "Run," he ordered her suddenly.

Unable to do anything except obey, the female grabbed the other one with her tail, shoved the envelope in her belt pouch, and dropped to all fours, loping away. The other female squeaked indignantly, but the gargoyle ignored her. "Unless you wish to join Spike in this, Buffy, shut up," she growled after a moment.

Buffy stopped protesting. "I can run, you know."

The gargoyle scoffed. "I move faster," she replied.

A year later...

New York City was a big place, but she had only chosen the park as a protectorate. Tonight, however, she was not thinking of the people she had vowed to protect after leaving Sunny Dale. Tonight, she pulled out the envelope she had carried around faithfully for a year. The envelope was slightly tattered and the letter its self looked like it had seen it's better days.

_Dear Friend, _

_I write this now, as Buffy leaves me with an amulet that will fix Sunny Dale for good. Unfortunately, that triumph comes with a price. My life. I sit here, trying to put word to paper, wanting to tell you how much you helped me. The words fail me, as you can probably tell. I'm a guy, albeit dead, but still a guy. Some have the gift to write the words to woo a lady into giving him the shirt off her back and then there are those of us who can sit for days with a piece of paper and not come up with the words to say thank you. I fall into the second category. Insert dry chuckle It's hard to explain, but this was my path. The Fates wove my tale for me long before I was turned. _

_With my death, the feeling of complete obedience to me will disperse. I'm sorry, but it will leave you a little out of the loop for a few days. It's just a side effect of my feeding from you. _

_I found this amulet in my travels. Well, I guess I should be honest. I was given this amulet from another of your kind. We battled, not each other, but others. He was injured and sunrise was too far off. He gave me this amulet with the explicit orders to give it to another of his kin. After searching many hours, I found no other gargoyles in the area. You are of his kin, in a sense; hence the amulet is now yours. If I understand correctly, it will keep you flesh after sunrise. With all magics, there's probably a side effect. Please use it with caution. _

_It's been half a night since I finished that last paragraph. I know this won't be easy for you and I'm sorry for having put you through this. I hope I helped some. I am sorry that you must now lose a second clan. Your banishment from your home clan was harsh, but you survived. You've actually flourished, despite the tragedy you witnessed upon the return from your punishment. To lose a second clan… I know this is going to be tough for you, but you have to keep trying. You're a good lady and someday you will no longer be alone. And the one who cures you of your worst fears, the fears you live with every day, will be the one who will finally allow you to heal completely. I must say I am sorry it will not be me. _

_I would ask one thing, however. If you should every want a name, my night angel, pick the one you think suits you best. Do not let another choose it for you. It is time you think of yourself._

_ Your Faithful Servant, _

_Spike_

Carefully folding the letter up and returning it to the envelope, she slipped them both into her belt pouch. The amulet lay hidden in the bottom of her pants pocket. Her Spike had been right; the first couple of days had been extremely rough. She was fortunate enough when dawn had arrived, locking her in her stone slumber. She hadn't been able to return to him, even though every fiber in her being protested her not going. He was gone and all her tears had yet to bring him back. Just like the rest of her clan. Sacrificed by someone else's hand. Damn the humans for…

A shrill cry pierced the air around her, jolting her out of her depressive state. Listening for a half second longer, she determined the direction of the cry and leapt off the building she had perched on. Her wings instantly caught an updraft as she glided towards the sounds of a scuffle. Dropping quickly to the ground, she peered at the sight before her.

Several figures dressed in black ninja outfits with read headbands surrounded what looked like a young couple. The woman had red hair - not as bright as her own fiery mane - and wore a yellow jumpsuit. The man, on the other hand, had black hair, wore a wife beater muscle tee and carried a hockey stick. The gargoyle thought this odd, considering hockey had been over with for a good month by now. With a shrug and very little concern for herself, she waded into the middle of the group. "Hello," she said with a toothy grin, her fangs flashing, "mind telling me why you're playing in my protectorate?"

No one said a word.

The female gargoyle turned to the human male. "You want to tell me then," she asked impatiently.

He raised an eyebrow at her as one of the men in black attacked.

"Great," she growled, delivering a kick to the man behind her. Her eyes flared scarlet and that must have been the signal to go because everything seemed to happen at once. Without hesitating further, the gargoyle leapt into action. She had been on her own, yes, but not all her life. Warrior training from her clan days kicked into overdrive as she spun around, her tail connecting with the back of a pair of ankles. The man went down - his skull hitting the sidewalk with a sickening thunk - and another took his place. A swift kick to the midsection and a quick grab with her tail and he soon joined his comrade on the ground. She dropped to all fours and charged two of the men, her wings flaring out at the last moment just enough to slow her as she collided with them. A head in each clawed hand; she bashed their heads together and then surveyed the scene before here.

The man with the stick and the woman behind him hadn't fared too bad for themselves. He used his weapon to render the last would be thug unconscious as she returned to them. "Casey Jones, April O'Neil," he said as way of introduction.

"I have no name," she replied, "but you may call me friend." She turned, moving to leave them.

"Wait," the woman called. "Where will you go?"

"To find a spot for the day. One can not be too careful when it comes to hiding from prying eyes." She made to leave again.

"Hey, Friend," Casey called out. "How 'bout we show you the perfect spot to stay hidden, eh?"

Eyes flashing briefly, the gargess turned. "So you can smash me in my sleep? Humans are…." she paused, knowing she was doing it again. Judging people as they had often judged her. She sighed. "Perhaps it would be a good idea. Please, forgive me. My past experiences with humans have been … less than successful."

April moved and placed her hand on the gargoyle's shoulder. "Our friends have had the same problems."

Hearing that, her head spun so that she faced the human. "Are they gargoyles," she blurted out hopefully.

It was Casey that answered her verbally, but April's downcast eyes were voice enough. "No," he said, "but they aren't 100 human either."

"Come on," April said. "I'll get the pies and Casey can take you to meet the guys."

Her eye ridges furrowed in confusion. "Pies?" But the other red head was already gone. "What does she need pies for? And is it wise for her to leave our company after an attack of this size?"

Casey hefted his hockey stick and slid it back into the altered golf bag on his back. "Ape knows all the shortcuts. She'll be fine. We'd best get you into something or at least out of plain sight. Not everyone's as accepting as Ape and me." He had pulled out a long trench coat from his bag and offered it to her.

She scowled at the offending piece of cloth, but caped her wings under her arms and slid it around her body. Her tail wrapped around her leg as she adjusted the bandana around her hair and crossed her arms for inspection. "Good?"

He nodded and beckoned for her to follow him.

"If April knows the shortcuts, why were you attacked here?"

"We knew we were being followed and couldn't risk leading them to our friends. We had to lose them. You just happened to help us render them unconscious." He turned and faced her, effectively walking backwards. "And for that, I thank you."

She smiled. "You're welcome, but it is gargoyle nature to protect. I would have done the same for anyone."

Casey smiled wider and nodded. "I think you would have. Still, thanks."

The gargress smiled back. "So, are you going to tell me anything about your friends?"

"Oh, sure. Names and colors mainly. They can fill you in on the hard stuff when we get there. There's Leonardo, the unofficial leader. He wears blue. Donatello wears purple and can fix just about anything you break. Raphael wears red and is as temperamental as a woman on PMS, but don't tell him I said that, k? Then there's Michelangelo, wears orange and is Puck in disguise, I swear." He paused. "There's also Splinter, their sensei."

"They're named after Renaissance artists?"

"Hey, you're not bad for not having a name. Many people don't know that," Casey chuckled. "But tell me, why don't you have a name?"

The gargress raised her eye ridge again. "I have not chosen one since leaving my clan. It was not needed."

"Your momma didn't name you?"

"It is not gargoyle way to name everything we come across, human. In my clan, we made it tradition to find our names as we grew. I have not yet done so," she explained with half-truths.

They had walked up several side streets before ducking down a deserted alley. Casey looked around for a moment before pulling the manhole cover up and motioning to the now open hole. "Down the hatch," he quipped.

She backed away from the hole. "You want me to go down there? Underground," she asked. She had always had a terrifying fear of having anything over her head. She much preferred the open sky as her only cover.

"Yeah, that's the idea," he replied. "Come on, we don't want to get caught here."  
She swallowed her fear. A warrior was afraid of nothing and this would be nothing for her. Closing her eyes, she descended into the sewer. The first thing to assault her was the smell. "Oh my god," she complained. "It reeks down here."

Casey closed the manhole cover over them and shrugged. "It's not that bad, once you get used to it."

"So sayeth the human with less than perfect sense of smell," she grumbled. "My sniffer is a lot more sensitive than your own."

"Come on. If April beats me back I'll never hear the end of it."

"Right," the gargoyle agreed. Her eyes scanned the area around her, but even with her eyesight she knew that if they took any turns she would not find her way back out of this place. Not before she panicked at any rate. "So, um, are you and April like mates or something?" She would talk all night if it helped keep her mind off this place.

"Mates?"

"What's the human term? Married, I think."

Casey let out a laugh. "April and me married? I don't think so. Naw, don't really think I'm April's type."

"That's a shame, really, then. You made a nice looking human couple."  
He stopped. "Look, can I ask you something that's been bugging me since we met?" He didn't wait for an answer. "What's up with this 'human' business? Did I wrong you in another life or something?"

She too paused, but for thought. "Casey, I'm sorry. Seven years ago humans destroyed my clan while we slept. I was away at the time, banished for attacking someone I shouldn't have. When I returned all that greeted me was the littered remains of my family. I'm afraid that wasn't the only time I was hurt by humans. It is difficult to change after so long, but I will try."

Casey nodded. "So long as you try," he nodded as he started off again.

Shaking her head, she followed the male. They took a left, then a right, then two more rights, another left… bah! What was the point? The gargess didn't have a clue where she was and simply gave up trying to figure out how she would get out if things went south. Instead she decided that perhaps she should make sure things DIDN'T go south.

Author's Note:

Ok, I love the Turtle movies. Always been a favorite of mine. Sadly though, I only got to see the first few cartoons made, so I'm a little out of the loop. I did see one episode with the Battle Nexus and one where April was kidnapped by triceratops looking things. So, to cease my ramblings before they get too far out of hand, most of my fics won't be accurate with the cartoons. Sorry.

Next chapter: Greetings!


	2. Greetings

Disclaimer thingy: I don't own TMNT

Disclaimer thingy: I don't own TMNT. Never have, doubt I ever will. Suing me for money I'm NOT making on this fic will only waste your time. No infringement of the Copywrite is intended. All original characters, however, are mine and are not to be used without my permission.

And now, on with the show.

Greetings

"Is it much farther," she asked again.

Casey shook his head. "For the fifth time, no. If you stop asking every two seconds," he grumbled.

"I told you, I hate the feeling of being surrounded."

"Well, we're here now, so just relax. You'd hate to make a bad first impression." He entered the lair, beckoning her to follow. "Yo guys! I brought a friend! Get yer tails out here!"

"Casey! Where's April?" A strong Brooklyn accented voice carried through lair. A few seconds later, a face appeared to go with that voice. A large five foot something humanoid turtle stopped when he saw the gargoyle. "What is this?"

The gargress' eyes flared scarlet for a second. "I am a who, not a what," she declared.

Raphael arched an eye ridge, but shook off the comment. "Yeah, well you aren't the first mutate to show up tonight," he informed her.

"I am not a mutate," she nearly roared.

Casey placed a hand on the gargoyle's shoulder. "It's all right, friend. Raph here isn't the best with manners. You'll have to excuse him." Turning to Raph, he asked, "Hey man, what's the matter with you?"

"We've got a temperamental felinoid in there and we don't know what to do with her."

"Jessica? You have Jessica in there?" The female tried to move around the turtle to get to where he had come from. "Please, is she well? Let me go to her!"

Raphael stood his ground between the rest of the lair and the gargess. "How do you know her and why is it you two coincidentally wind up here tonight?"

"Jessica discovered me much as your friend Casey did. I defended her and her turtle friend from a group of attackers. Discovering they weren't exactly human, it was easier for me to trust them than it has been trusting Casey," she explained rapidly. "Now please tell me, is Karen there with her?"

"Karen ain't no turtle, but yeah, she's here," Raph grumbled. "We found them living in our old lair."

Cocking her head, the gargess said, "She very much so was a turtle when I saw her."

"Then you ain't got the right Karen," he replied, but moving back the way he had appeared from. He stopped when he came to the door and looked back. "You comin' or what?" With a nod, she moved toward him. He would hold open the door for her and gesture with his free hand inside. "Now, tell me that's a turtle if you can." He indicated to the human female who stood next to a prone felinoid.

The gargress took in the scene in front of here. Three other turtle beings, a feline, a felinoid, a large rat, and a human female were crowded into this infirmary type room. The feline, a small orange domesticated cat sat atop the orange banded turtle's head, while the felinoid – calico in coloring and hissing up a storm – lay flat gripping the human female's hand. Great feline ears lay flat across her head and her tail twitched madly, but the rest of the felinoid lay stark still. The purple-banded turtle, Donatello if her memory served her correctly, was grimacing as he stitched a nasty looking gash closed. Blue and Orange, Leonardo and Michelangelo respectively, watched – one with a scowl of distrust and the other with sympathy, as if every stitch was one he felt personally. The rat turned to look at her and she saw great knowledge behind those eyes. This was indeed the elder of this clan, though why her friend was here, she didn't know. Silent long enough, she spoke up. "Jessica, what are you doing here and who is this?"

Jessica's ears lifted at the sound of the voice from the doorway. "Friend! What are you doing here?" Not waiting for an answer, she continued. "This is Karen. Don't you remember her?"

"Karen looked similar to these four here," she replied tersely. "She was not human."

Six heads whipped around to look at the human, who was now shrinking back against the table in a vain attempt to become invisible. Jessica hissed as Donatello poked a bit too hard with the needle. Snapping out of it, he shook his head and continued his work. Only the gargess tail tapping was any indication of the impatience of the group.

"So," she said after a long minute, "are you going to explain to me how you are human now?"

Karen gave a weak shrug after feeling the encouraging squeeze from her furry friend. "Er, I'm sort of a were-turtle, only I can like… control it. The conditions aren't specific. I was mixing a batch of chemicals and accidentally drank my experiment instead of my tea. Both were warm, so I didn't notice until I tried to add the final few ingredients to the mixture. For the record, hot tea is not a good base for adding anything to. At least not on the scientific level." She took this intensely odd moment to demonstrate. Closing her eyes, she concentrated a bit and went through the changes that were occurring as she felt herself go through them. First, she grew about three inches. A large shell, much like the four other turtles' shells, grew from her back. Her blonde hair took a stark contrast to her skin as it deepened to green. Her nose receded from view and her face took on a more turtle-ish appearance. Her fingers and toes merged until she was a female version of the four males in front of her. A beak and plastron and she was set.

"So like, which one's the real you," Michelangelo chirped.

Karen opened her eyes. "I was born human," she admitted shyly. "Science, well my own curiosity made me this way."

"Oh ho! Another science freak," Mikey ribbed. "Hey Donny, found you a girlfriend!"

A sharp, not unpleasant voice split the air even before he finished. "Michelangelo!"

Said turtle turned – causing the orange cat to flee its precarious perch - and faced his sensei. "Yes Master Splinter?"

"Go," the rat said sternly. "Twenty flips. Now."

"Yes, Master Splinter." He turned, sparing the gargess a smile as he passed her.

The gargoyle raised an eye ridge at this turtle – Michelangelo. She didn't know what to make of his comment. Were they lonely? Desperate for companionship? Was he thinking of trying to play mate maker? That was generally left to the elders of the clan. As much as they claimed not to care, elders were always pushing for the younger generation to pair up – usually basing their decisions on watching. She smirked at the thought and noticed Michelangelo's eyes shoot up in what could best be described at hopeful. Smothering her smile, she turned to face the group again. The room seemed to have shrunk since she last looked in it, but she took a deep breath and tried to ignore the feeling of suffocation. "How did you guys wind up here, Karen?"

"We were attacked as we were leaving for our trip topside to see you," the now turtle-sized female responded. "These four here rescued our butts from a serious whooping, though not before Jess was used as a pin cushion." She absently ran her fingers along a few other freshly stitched areas. "Why are you here?"

"I assisted this hu…Casey and his April friend in an attack by humans in black pajamas. It's the same group that has been terrorizing the park for some time now." She had to focus more on her breathing than what she was actually saying. The room was beginning to spin and her chest felt tight. Breathing was becoming harder, but she pushed on. "To thank me," she pushed out, "Casey offered me a safe place to stay during the day. He led me down here while April went for pies." Feeling herself sway slightly, she planted her tail on the ground for added support.

Jessie hissed through her teeth. "Defender of the night, eh?"

The gargress chuckled. "We are often called that, yes." The pressure was increasing, the room growing smaller with each breath she took, and she closed her eyes briefly, feeling most of the color drain from her face.

"Are you ok?"

Eyes rolling up in her head, she squeaked out, "Sure," before falling backwards towards the ground.

With his ninja reflexes, Raph stopped the gargoyle from smashing the back of her head on the floor. "What's up with this chick," he grumbled at Casey.

"Oh, chick here's claustrophobic," he said, quite amused with that fact.

"Oh, just like you were, huh?" Donatello found it prudent to remind the vigilante of his fear of small spaces.

Casey pointed his finger at Donatello. "Hey, I got over it. I doubt this one will."

April's voice called from the other room. "Hey guys, I got the pies. Do you know how hard it is to find a pizza joint open at 5 AM? A little help here?"

Leonardo, the only one left without a current task, left the room to help the red headed reporter. April was relieved to hand the pizzas over to him and he took them to the kitchen. He didn't like all these females turning up on the same night. Yes, Michelangelo had been the one to find the two females living in the old lair, but this gargoyle showing up on the same night. Something didn't add up and he was going to find out what it was.

Raphael moved the garg to the couch, but wondered what to do with her next. "Yo Donny, what do I do with her?"

Karen walked out and stood beside the red masked turtle. "There isn't really anything you can do. Claustrophobia can be beaten, but it takes reprogramming. I think I understand why she has it. She…"

"Look, I don't care," he grumbled. "Just wake her up and get her movin'."

Arching an eye ridge, Karen scooped the gargoyle up into a sitting position. "Hey, Friend, wake up." She lightly slapped the unconscious woman's cheek as Raphael looked on. "Come on, sleepy head, wake up."

Groaning, the gargoyle mumbled something to the turtle before she opened her eyes. "Wha?"

"How long have you been claustrophobic," Casey decided to finally ask.

"Since I was a hatchling. Whenever the humans around our home got bold, they'd come hunt us. The hatchlings were hidden away for safe keeping in caves and covered holes." She sighed. "On one occasion, I had a group of them camp for seven days and nights where I was hidden." Shuddering, she continued. "I listened to them every night, afraid that the next sunrise would be my last. After they left, I couldn't get out of that hole fast enough. Since then… I just can't…"

"Sounds brutal," the vigilante noted.

"Brotherly love," she corrected him. "Anyway, it's over with. I just panic when there's anything over my head. I'm sorry for the trouble I caused you." She stood up, but swayed slightly. Karen steadied her. "I wish to check on Jessica once more before dawn comes."

Karen wondered what happened at dawn, but simply followed the gargoyle over to the infirmary. It looked like Donatello had finished his work on the feline and had moved away to a computer nearby. Curious, she left the gargoyle and moved to her long time friend. "Hey, Kitkat, how you feeling?"

Jessica gave a feline yawn and opened her eyes. "Tired and sore. You?"

Snickering, the were-turtle shook her head. "A bit overwhelmed, but no worse for wear. I mean, I have a LOT of questions I'd love to ask our saviors, but I'm not sure they're willing to answer them right yet."

"Save your question," the feline said. "Mister Purple here says it'll be a couple days before I can go anywhere."

"I don't like that idea," Karen whispered as she knelt down beside the bed. "I can always carry you home in this form." She didn't like the idea of staying with these males any longer than she had to. They were too suspicious and worse than that, they were male. Not that she didn't find the one in orange interesting, but who knew what they're real plans for her and Jessica were. The garg interrupted her next comment.

"I need a place to stay before dawn gets here, Mister Donatello. Is there anywhere I might be able to sleep until sunset?"

Donatello looked a bit confused by the question, but tried to hide it quickly. Nodding, he led the female to his room and pointed to the bed. "You can rest there for the day. It's my room, but we're day people. Why do you sleep during the day? I mean, NYC is a busy place at all hours, but…"

"It is not by choice, Donatello, but a curse. It was placed upon the first of the gargoyles by an old man, who appeared out of nowhere one evening. Even since that day, it's not safe for my kind to be seen during the day light hours."

"But why?"

"If you were human, would you have accepted a demon looking woman such as myself so readily into your home?"

"I'd like to think I would," he replied without hesitation.

She smiled at him, a warm, friendly smile that reached her eyes. "I think you would have as well." She kneeled down in an empty corner and caped her wings around herself. "Will you protect me throughout the day?"

"Protect you?" He was genuinely confused at this, but before his very eyes the young gargess turned to stone. "Holy motherboard…"

A/N: Part two finally up! Cheers I'm so happy, but have no idea where this is going. Anyway, I'll update again when the muse strikes.


	3. Revalations

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own the TMNT. The originals, however, are mine and I tend to be very possessive.

* * *

Donatello knelt down and tentatively reached out to touch the gargoyle. The stone was cooling fast and it seemed pretty solid. The clothes the female was wearing was also stone. Her face was set in a worried half smile and her wings caped loosely around herself. "Whoa," he breathed.

"Wow, talk about sleeping like a rock," Michelangelo ribbed from the doorway. "Is this normal?"

"Have **you** ever seen a gargoyle before?"

The orange-clad turtle shook his head. "Not any like this one, but there are dozens on our patrol route."

"Yeah, but those are still stone at night and during the day, Mikey." The stone beneath his fingers was completely cool now, so the turtle pulled his hand away. "I guess we leave her alone; check on her later or something." For once, the brainy turtle was at a loss for words. He wanted to say something intelligent about this, but nothing came to mind. "Let's go, Mikey."

Mikey's shoulders bounced in a shrug as he turned and headed for the kitchen… doing an impromptu rendition of Godsmack's "I Stand Alone". "Yes, I! I turn to stone! Inside, I! I turn to stone. Outside, I!"

Raphael swatted his brother as he passed him. "Nut."

* * *

Karen sat talking in hushed tones to her friend. "Jessica, I don't like being here." The were-turtle was in her human form again, but still held her friend's hand. "I can't seem to shake the feeling…"

Jessica turned to her friend, smothering a yawn with her free hand. "Beany, we can't go anywhere. Them blokes up there tore me up something fierce. I'm tired, sore, and hungry. We haven't been living there all that long… and this place is a lot warmer." The felinoid's eyes were slowly drifting shut. "Besides, the purple one promised no harm."

Karen shivered a bit. "I know, but…"

Jess' free hand clasped her friend's shoulder weakly. "I'll be up in a flash should anything go amiss. You know that. Right now, though, I need a catnap."

Nodding, Karen moved her friend's hands until they rested beside her body. "Rest well, Kitkat."

* * *

"You don't trust us," Leonardo said a few moments later as Karen sat in the kitchen with a cup of tea.

Karen shook her head. "You don't trust us," she shot back at him.

"What were you doing out that got your friend hurt?"

Green eyes flashed at him. "For your information, Leonardo, we were trying to get the rest of her stuff from her former apartment. We had gotten the furniture and the other stuff out, but some of the foodstuffs couldn't be moved until we got the refrigerator working our new place." She took a drink while he pondered his next question.

"Where do you now live that accepts your furry friend?"

Karen slammed her tea cup back on the table. "Her name is Jessica, blue boy. If you can't remember that, I'll personally beat it into you."

A heavily accented voice cut into the conversation. "I'm the only one allowed to beat on Leo," Raphael said. "Where do you stay that accepts Jessica?"

Capping her fury, Karen sighed. "An old abandoned lair from the looks of it. It looks like it was once a home for something or someone." She missed the looks on the turtles' faces as she continued talking to her mug. "There was this really destroyed looking chair in the center of the room. We cleaned it up, blocked off some of the most direct routes to it and made it home. I moved in with Jess because it's my fault she's that way."

"I'm goin' out," Raph said suddenly.

Karen jerked her eyes up at that and glared at him. "Good, one less person staring at me all day."

"What is your problem with us," Leonardo asked at length. "We haven't done anything to you."

"You didn't exactly welcome us or our winged friend with a smile now, did you?"

"Would you have?"

Karen scowled as she answered him. "We did, yes."

Leonardo looked surprised. "What?"

"Oh come off it, Leonardo," she scoffed. "You guys think you are the only unique creatures around you. No way! There are things that you all have missed because you only come above ground when the shadows are long or the crowds are busy. You fear the general populace so much that you don't bother to stop and observe it with unclouded eyes. You know the red head and that male vigilante, but have you tried to see the world beyond that?" Her tea lay cold and forgotten on the table in front of her as she took a deep breath and continued. "Yes, the world is a violent and scary place with crooked cops, pimps, whores, thieves, murderers, rapists, abusers, users, homeless, and other sorts of people, but how can you be saying you're making a better impact on it if you hide down here and only go topside to be vigilantes yourselves?"

"We're not vigilantes," he corrected her.

"No," she chuckled humorlessly. "Then what are you?"

"Protectors."

Karen scoffed again. "Vigilantes, just like our friend. No one asked for your help. No one can recognize you for it because you do your stuff and run."

"We make the streets safer for people like you," he seethed.

"Who asked you," she growled. "Jessica is ostracized because of her fur and fangs, but not a single person tried to kill her because of it."

"She was born human though." Leonardo was losing his struggle to remain calm. "We are turtles humanized."

"So what?! Turtles humanized or humanoid turtles, what is the damn difference? Can you think? Rationalize? Communicate?"

SLAM!

Leonardo's tea cup hit the table with enough force to topple Karen's mug. "What right do you have to come to our home and tell us that what we're doing is oh so wrong? We've lived eighteen years down here without your 'enlightenment'," he spat, "and I wager we'll keep going on without it after you and your friends are gone!"

Karen stood up and sneered at him. "Fine words," she replied, "for a coward."

Leonardo scowled at the female across from him. "I. Am. No. Coward."

Karen opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by a sharp voice. "Karen," Jessica said sharply. "What right do you have to insult our hosts?"

Her mouth floundering for a second, the were-turtle frowned. "He started it," she finished somewhat lamely.

Shaking her head, the feline frowned at the two verbal sparring partners. "I heard all of what was said, Beany. Why?"

Karen's frown deepened. "Because… I'm scared," she confessed. Extending her arms in a helpless gesture, she walked over and embraced her friend. "You got hurt, Kevin's out there still, Pine showing up, them," she rambled. "Everything's happening too fast."

Jessica chuckled. "Time is nature's way of making sure everything doesn't happen at once, not that it doesn't happen too fast, Karen. We'll be fine, as long as you quit badgering our hosts."

Karen nodded and turned towards Leonardo. Giving him a low bow, she said sincerely, "My apologies, Leonardo."

As he had stood and watched the entire exchange, Leo had calmed down and did see some of Karen's point. Returning her bow stiffly, he nodded. "Accepted." He turned and walked away from the females… they were certainly an added distraction, but perhaps meditation would clear them from his mind.

TMNT

Donatello sat in his room watching the gargoyle with interest. After having talked to Karen and Jessica, he was aware that this being would awake at sunset. The computer estimated sunset to be within the next ten minutes, so here he was, waiting. Jessica had alternated between wakefulness and cat napping, while Karen had wandered the sewers after collecting more of their things. At the present everyone was seated in the living area conversing and eating.

Tiny hairline cracks began to weave a tell tale web of miniature ravines across the surface of the stone. Twin beacons of crimson light glowed through the eyes and suddenly the statue was on its feet roaring to life. The gargoyle shook the remnants of the shards out of her hair and looked around. Instantly the walls seemed to suffocate her.

"How could you have stayed so quiet when hiding in a hole underneath a bunch of humans if that's how loud you roar when you wake up," he asked before his mind caught up with his mouth.

The gargress frowned. "Necessity," she replied curtly.

"I'm sorry," Donatello said sincerely. "Sometimes my mouth gets carried away with me."

"It is fine, Donatello." She looked at the roof above her. "Is there any way I could be taken back to the surface? I don't wish to be a bother here."

"You want to leave?"

"The sewers are not a habitable home for me. I need the open air and the night winds."

Donatello looked shocked. "But…"

"Don, let her alone," Leonardo interrupted. "We would not want to cage her in a place she can not live in."

The gargress bowed low to Donatello and then Leonardo. "Thank you, honored leader. Your understanding is far beyond your years."

Leo nodded politely back at her. "Karen and Jessica have to stay here for another night. They'll be back at their home by the time you wake tomorrow night, I suspect."

"Thank you." She looked again at the ceiling. "Can we go now?"

The blue banned turtle nodded. "I'll take you to the surface."

* * *

With his shell cell tucked safely into his belt, Leonardo led the winged female towards the park exit of the sewers. "Here," he said as he handed her a cell of her own. "If you get into trouble or you just need someone to talk to, give any one of us a call. Master Splinter insisted you have someplace to come back to if you fall short of safe roosts."

Eying the open skies that twinkled with stars, the she-goyle looked back at Leonardo. "Perhaps you can stay and talk for a little while?"

Leonardo nodded. "I'm sure I can spare to miss one of Mikey's Monday Midnight Movie Marathons which usually last til three anyway." He perched himself comfortably at the end of the tunnel. "So, where do you come from?"

Smiling, she launched into her story.

Donatello found the pair of them talking still at two in the morning. He had been sent by Splinter after locating both shell cell signals in the same spot. Worried for his eldest son, the old rat had sent him to find the missing leader. "You missed Mikey's movie," he said as a way of greeting.

The gargress' stomach growled. "Oh my, I am sorry, Leonardo. I have kept you from your clan far too long. Forgive me."

"And I've kept you from getting food. My apologies to you, friend." Leonardo stood up and offered the gargoyle a hand up. "Perhaps you'd like to have something back at the lair before you go?"

Looking towards Donatello and then back at Leo, the she-goyle nodded. "Perhaps I could stay for an early morning meal."

Donatello shook his head and headed back the way he came. Leonardo and Friend followed suit.

The she-goyle stifled a yawn as she curled her wings about her and perched in an undecorated area of the lair. Her early morning meal had wound up picking up where the sewer conversation had been abruptly interrupted and had lasted until the familiar stiffness of dawn started. Moving quickly, she and Leonardo had found a less fragile place than Donnie's room – which hadn't escaped unscathed. "Good night, Leonardo. Thank you for hearing a lonely gargoyle out."

Leonardo bowed. "Even those who choose their loneliness need to feel useful. I am glad my ear was enough this evening."

She smiled and solidified before him.

He made short work of finding his pillow and falling into it.

* * *

Michelangelo smiled softly in his sleep. There were girls in the lair now. How cool was that?

TMNT TMNT

Author's Note: I know, long time FINALLY an update. This chapter feels a bit rushed to me, but I see an instant respect between Leo and my gargoyle. I also see an instant dislike between Leo and ANYONE who even hints at him being wrong, so sorry Karen. :P Anyway, just a short update. Muse demanded to write something about these characters, so here it is. Tootles.


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